what about these coralife aqualights?

[jcarroll]

I have a 55 gallon and the whole light issue is overwhelming a bit. I'd like to keep corals and fish. Basically everything but anemones. I found these lights for 199 plus cost of mounting legs. Would they work?
48" Coralife Aqualight
Dual Linear Strip
(260 W total)
4x65 W
Actinic 50/50 & 10K bulbs

 

[slammy16]

I have lights similar to those and i was told soft corals and anemones only no hard corals or clams.

 

[jcarroll]

Anyone know what would have to be changed with these lights in order to keep hard corals and clams?

 

[slammy16]

YOu need metal halide lamps for those. Im new at this to so dont take my word as gospel but, i have asked similar questions.

 

[jcarroll]

It's crazy how expensive those lights are. I have looked everywhere for reasonably priced mh, but have had no luck. Have you ever been able to find a site that has them for 300?

 

[slammy16]

Not for what i want to do. There are some that i saw from Corallife
Coralife Aqualight pro HQI 48" metal halide PC fixture..
i think i saw that at almost $600.
That is something like what i will try to get here in the next year or so.

 

[jcarroll]

wow, I guess I'll keep trying to find them used

 

[ophiura]

Actually I would say they would be OK for softies and perhaps some LPS (large polyped stony corals) but probably NOT for SPS, anemones and clams long term. Anemones, SPS corals and clams really do better with metal halide, IMO.